


Stranger Among Us

by Kaltheinya



Series: Saurian Code Production Season 1 [7]
Category: Mighty Ducks (animated)
Genre: Gen, tension between team mates, violent behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-06
Updated: 2013-06-06
Packaged: 2017-12-14 04:24:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/832712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaltheinya/pseuds/Kaltheinya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nosedive shows a violent streak that's even got the Saurians worried. Nightbloom, however, is pleased.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranger Among Us

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Mighty Ducks is the property of Disney. Nightbloom and any non canon characters appearing in these series belong to me. This work of fiction is solely for the use of free entertainment as no money is being made off of this.

**Stranger Among Us**

All the ducks were in the den. Nosedive and Mallory were watching television. Tanya, who was taking a break from her gadgets, was also sitting with them.

Duke sat nearby, reading a newspaper and sipping coffee from his mug.

Phil was trying to convince Wildwing and Canard to do another publicity stunt.

"After what happened at our last interview? I'd have to be crazy! The answer is no, Phil," said Canard.

"Aw, c'mon!" No reporters, I promise!"

"No!"

Duke lowered his paper to watch the three.

"That's great!" Tanya suddenly exclaimed.

"Wait," said Mallory. "What was that?"

"It's a new type of powerful generator that they've been trying to perfect for months! It's suppose to be powerful enough to run a ten story building for twelve hours with only one gallon of gas and a tiny bit of nuclear energy."

All the ducks, with the exception of Nosedive, grinned when they heard the excitement in her voice.

"Only you would find new power supplies interesting, Tanya," scoffed Nosedive. "And only because you're completely clueless about having a life."

Tanya's smile fell.

Everyone, including Phil, looked at Nosedive in shock.

"Nosedive!" exclaimed Canard.

"What?"

Canard gave Wildwing a look.

Wildwing stepped towards Nosedive. "Dive, what has gotten into you?"

"Nothing, Wing. Okay? Just because I say something that is true. . ."

"Go to your room."

"What?!" Nosedive jumped up off the couch. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Dive, I'm warning you."

Nosedive let out a humorless laugh. "You've taken to threatening me? Please."

Wildwing glanced back at Canard.

"What?" continued Nosedive. "Can't make your own judgment?"

"Nosedive," growled Canard.

"I'm out of here," Nosedive said, throwing up his hands and turning away from all of them.

"Get back here," ordered Canard.

"Kiss my tail feathers." Nosedive walked out. 

X

Wildwing paced around in the Ready Room. Canard watched him.

"I don't understand," said Wildwing. "Nosedive never behaved like this before."

"I know," responded Canard. "I remember what he was like. The Saurians must have done something to him."

"But what? Every time I try to talk to him, he claims not to remember."

"That is precisely what concerns me. I've seen trauma victims during the war. Amnesia is common to those who have witnessed or experienced something horrible."

Wildwing stopped and looked at Canard. "Please don't say that," he whispered.

Canard's eyes narrowed. "Something's up."

"What?"

"Ever since you had that private talk with Nosedive, you've been acting a bit distracted yourself."

"I have?" Wildwing's voice cracked as he swallowed nervously.

"Just what did go between you two?"

"Nothing."

"Now you sound like Nosedive."

Wildwing took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and looked at the floor.

"He said something that really got to you, didn't he?" Canard asked.

"He remembers calling for us," Wildwing murmured. "And that we never showed up."

Both ducks remained silent for a moment.

"He specifically said that he called for you, didn't he?" Canard asked gently, seeing through Wildwing's small lie.

"Yeah," croaked Wildwing.

"Which means, you never showed up."

Wildwing nodded.

"He's hurting, Wing. That much I can figure. Whatever those Saurians did to him, it's destroying him. And he's destroying us in the process."

Wildwing looked up at him, shocked.

"What I mean to say is that he's lashing out. Look at you! You're going through a major guilt trip. Duke's been insulted. And Tanya got her share today. You saw how she reacted to Nosedive's words! And have you noticed that he keeps slipping away without us knowing, and that he no longer asks Grin along?"

Canard paused, giving Wildwing time to think.

"He needs your support. And the rest of the teams," Canard continued.

"What about you?"

Canard sighed. "Wing. . . The kid obviously doesn't like me."

"Oh, really?"

"Shut up." Canard turned away from Wildwing. "I probably couldn't offer Nosedive the support he needed if my life depended on it. I wasn't exactly raised that way. You know what it was like for me growing up."

Wildwing smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah."

Canard let out an amused snort. "My father was forever trying to convince me that you were meant to be a rival and not a friend. And he always told me that Nosedive's rambunctiousness was a sin for a military family like ours. Remember what I was like before Nosedive hatched?"

Wildwing laughed. "You were horrible. Worse than Nosedive!"

"Eesh, don't remind me. My father set me straight after that egg snatching stunt you pulled. Later on he wished he could do the same to Nosedive."

Wildwing chuckled. "As if my father would have let him."

"Oh, man, how they despised each other," Canard muttered.

"Yeah," sighed Wildwing. "I miss those days."

"Me, too." Canard patted Wildwing on the shoulder. "Keep trying to talk to that brother of yours. If that fails, I'll give it a try myself." X

Nosedive stood in the shadows of an alley, watching humans pass by.

He hated this place. He hated the situation. And now he found himself beginning to hate the company he was with, including his brother.

"What is wrong with me?" he asked himself.

He gasped when he suddenly saw a solid vision of his brother turning away from him. He saw himself reaching out for him, begging for help.

Nosedive shut his eyes and pressed his hands to his temples.

"That never happened, that never happened, that never happened," he whispered desperately, sinking back further into the shadows, alone and scared. X

Chameleon stood staring at a crack on the wall. "This is so lame," he said.

Siege was pacing behind him. "I need a fight," he growled.

"I don't understand why we have been waiting for Nightbloom to give her orders," grumbled Wraith.

"Silence!" ordered Dragaunus. "You're making my head hurt."

The three Saurians glanced at Dragaunus and then at each other. They continued in softer voices.

"I think she's trying to muscle in on Lord Dragaunus' place."

"Yeah, and he doesn't even realize it!" added Chameleon.

"Whatever she's up to, I don't trust her or like her," drawled Wraith. "And I'll be cursed if she ever becomes my leader."

"Aye, matey," leered Chameleon, who had morphed into a pirate. "Something smells fishy when concerning the likes of 'er."

"I say we sabotage any plans we can!" said Siege.

"Most excellent idea," agreed Wraith. "If we make her out to be a failure, then Lord Dragaunus will stop listening to her and hopefully banish her!"

The other two Saurians agreed. 

X

"Ned's Nuclear Plant," said Nightbloom.

"What?" asked Dragaunus.

"I want you to attempt to steal the prototype for a new generator."

"Attempt? Do you expect us to fail?"

Nightbloom smirked. "Actually, I intend for you to fail."

"What?!"

Nightbloom turned away. "It is a test to see how much closer we are to phase three of the plan. You are to enter the lab and stall long enough for the ducks to arrive. Defend yourselves, fight back. But be prepared to retreat when I say so."

Dragaunus stared at Nightbloom. 'Does this mean you still want us to take the prototype?"

Nightbloom rolled her eyes in disgust, but her expression was neutral when she turned to face Dragaunus.

"The generator is just the cover story, so to speak. It will be useless to this ship. However, the results to this little test will be quite the opposite."

Dragaunus growled. "This is getting a bit too complicated."

"You are here for the action. Nothing more. You will understand after the test." 

X

Tanya stared at her gadgets, thinking. Was Nosedive right about her not having a life? After all, the only things she knew were science and math.

Only once was she able to hold a sociable relationship with another Puckworlder, but she had to leave him behind during the war.

She often wondered whether her one and only love was still waiting for her back home. Or had he gotten tired of waiting and turned to someone else?

Tanya sighed. She hated the pain she felt in her heart when she thought of him. And she hated the lump that always formed in her throat.

"Hockey sticks!" Tanya suddenly cried out, pushing one of her latest inventions to the floor. It broke into hundreds of pieces. She stared at it for a few minutes, then turned and walked away. 

X

Wraith let out a disgusted sigh as Lord Dragaunus left the room. He wasn't some message boy! He was a skilled practitioner of the mystic arts!

What really got to his was that although this latest caper was Nightbloom's plans, it was Lord Dragaunus who was leading the raid.

He shook his head and set out to find the other two Saurians. 

X

Grin sat meditating on the floor in a lotus position, eyes closed. He opened an eye when he was suddenly overcome with a sense of bad vibes.

Nosedive was back.

"Tanya's in her room," rumbled Grin. "She's upset."

"What's it to me?" snapped Nosedive.

"You are responsible for those feelings."

Nosedive let out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, and you were all responsible for finding and rescuing me. Did you? No. Any apologies? No. Guess Dragaunus got tired of waiting for you to show up that he just gave me back to you guys." With that, Nosedive stalked away.

Grin watched the young duck leave, his heart suddenly feeling heavy from guilt. _Do not feel guilty for something you had no control over_ , he told himself.

And yet, that little voice was still there, telling him that he had failed his little bud. 

X

The Saurians teleported into Ned's Nuclear Plant research labs without a hitch.

"Figures," grumbled Dragaunus, as he purposely tripped a silent alarm. "Only time we get in without a problem is when we're meant to draw the attention of the Ducks." He turned to the other Saurians who were unaware of what he had done.

"Wraith," he barked.

"Just grab whatever you can," Wraith said, standing in front of some boxes.

"I still don't see why they sent us out to do this," grumbled Chameleon.

"Nightbloom's orders," responded Siege.

"I really hate that woman!" Then he added in a louder voice, "So what are we looking for?"

"You'll know when you find it," was Dragaunus' remark.

Lord Dragaunus watched as his henchmen tore through cabinets and metal canisters.

Why Nightbloom didn't want the three knowing the true plan was a mystery to him. 

X

"To the Aerowing!" shouted Canard. Drake 1's alarms were ringing in the background.

A few minutes later, the ducks were in the Aerowing, ready for battle.

"Punch it," said Canard.

Wildwing, feeling slightly out of place, pushed a few buttons and a lever.

Behind Canard and Wildwing sat Nosedive, glaring at them.

Seeing his brother sitting in the place that was usually meant for him left Nosedive feeling angry and betrayed. X

"What about this thing?" asked Siege, pointing to a generator.

"The ducks are arriving," Dragaunus heard Nightbloom say.

"Yes," answered Dragaunus. "That's it. Grab it and let's go."

"Not so fast, Dragaunus," a male voice said.

"It's the ducks!" cried out Chameleon.

"Then what are you waiting for!" shouted Dragaunus. "Fight!"

The Ducks and Saurians leapt into battle. 

X

Nightbloom stood in front of a monitor, watching as the fight began. She didn't care who got hurt. Her attention was focused only on Nosedive. Her hand reached up and touched the pendant she wore around her neck. She began to rub it in a circular motion.

"Let your anger loose, little one," she whispered. 

X

Wildwing dodged to one side as a metal barrel flew his way.

"We really got to stop fighting them in places that has potential projectiles!" he heard Tanya say.

"This is ridiculous!" shouted Mallory, as she pushed Nosedive out of the way of several shelves that were collapsing.

Nosedive rolled away and jumped up, eyes blazing mad. Did she mean the situation was ridiculous, or was saving him ridiculous?

Glancing to his left, he saw Chameleon get the drop on Grin. The Saurian shoved a trash can over Grin's head and jumped off.

Grin tried to take the basket off but was struck from behind by Dragaunus.

As Grin crashed to the floor, Dragaunus made his way to Wildwing and Canard.

Siege, in the meantime, threw a desk in Duke's direction. Duke barely made it out from underneath it in time. The desk came down, grazing his shoulder and momentarily stunning him.

Wraith threw a fireball at Mallory and Tanya. Both jumped back and behind some crates. They took out their puck launchers and began firing.

Dragaunus whipped his tail and knocked Wildwing back. Canard paused for a split second, then ducked as Dragaunus's tail went over him.

Nosedive made his way to his brother. Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed him around the waist.

"Not so fast, Ducky!" Chameleon said, morphing into an ogre type thing.

"Ack!" Nosedive struggled in Chameleon's arms, unaware that his pendant started glowing. His eyes glowed a deep purple for a brief moment as his struggling intensified.

Chameleon lost his grip and dropped Nosedive.

Nosedive whirled around and took a martial art's stance.

"It's payback time, Saurian," he said.

Nosedive launched into a series of kicks and punches, driving Chameleon back. The Saurian found it hard to dodge the moves, so he morphed back into his own self.

Nosedive punched him hard in the face, sending the little Saurian sprawling to the floor.

Dragaunus ducked behind a tank as Wildwing and Canard fired several pucks at him. He used his own laser gun and shot back.

"Any time now, Nightbloom," Dragaunus muttered.

Wildwing dropped back behind his hiding place to look at how much ammo he had. He was a bit perplexed at finding out he had enough for five more shots. "How many shots have you got?" he asked Canard.

"Three," was his reply.

"Great," muttered Wildwing.

Duke slid into their area. "This is a disaster!" he exclaimed. "With all this stuff they can throw at  
us, we're in a bit of disadvantage!

Wildwing stood up and fired two more shots. That was when he spotted Nosedive standing over Chameleon.

Canard stood up in time to see the same thing.

Nosedive held a large pipe in his hands, held high over his head. A malicious smile was on his face as his eyes seemed to hold this uncontrollable rage.

Chameleon was looking up in utmost fear.

"Die, Saurian," Nosedive hissed, as he began to bring down the pipe to smash Chameleon's head.

"Chameleon!" the other Saurians shouted.

"Nosedive!" the ducks shouted. 

X

Nightbloom watched the screen as Nosedive raised the pipe over Chameleon's head. A slow, and evil smile began to grow on her face. Her eyes narrowed and her pupils became more serpentine.

"Soon, my young one. Soon," she said.

Then she spoke into her communicator device. "Retreat." 

X

Chameleon gasped as he looked into the eyes of one crazy duck.

Nosedive rose the pipe over his head, ready to bring it down on the Saurian, a malicious smile on his face.

"Chameleon!" he heard the other Saurians shout.

"Nosedive!" the ducks shouted out similarly.

"What are you doing?!" cried Canard and Wildwing.

Nosedive took one second to glance their way. That was all the time Chameleon needed. He scrambled out from underneath the duck.

"Retreat!" shouted Dragaunus.

All four Saurians disappeared in a flash of green.

"Now look what you did!" shouted Nosedive, throwing the pipe to one side. "They got away!"

Canard stalked over to Nosedive. "You tried to murder him!"

"So? You've mentioned that we should stop them at all costs!"

"That's not exactly what I meant! We're to stop them from taking over, contain them, and get out of this planet so that we could get back home and deal with them properly!"

Nosedive sneered. "Oh. Well, maybe you should have been more clear about that in the first place, Leader."

Nosedive pushed his way past Canard. "Meet you back at the Aerowing," he muttered.

Canard stood there, face red, hands balled up into fists.

"Wildwing," he snarled.

"I know. I'll talk to him," said Wildwing, hurrying behind his younger brother.

Duke, Mallory, Tanya, and Grin looked at Canard.

Canard calmed down. "Let's go home," he said. 

X

"He tried to kill me!" said Chameleon, in shock. "I mean, I always thought that if they wanted to kill us they would have used something other than pucks. I would have thought they'd use lasers, like us! But that duck tried to kill me!"

Dragaunus turned away from the rambling Saurian. He glared at Nightbloom.

"Your little test almost ended with the death of Chameleon."

Nightbloom stared at him with a blank look. "That close encounter was the test," she said. "Nosedive reacted with a violent tendency, and that was what I was looking for."

"What?"

Nightbloom turned away. "Although I would have preferred to see whether he would have carried out his intentions or not, the fact that he thought about it is well enough for me."

"This was a test to see whether he would kill Chameleon or not?" Dragaunus asked, incredulously.

"No, Sir Dragaunus," Nightbloom growled, looking back at him. "It was a test to see how angry he could get. This little situation proves to me that he is almost ready. Give it a few more days, Dragaunus, and Phase three will begin."

Nightbloom walked away, leaving Dragaunus behind.

Dragaunus stared at her retreating back, and began to wonder just how wise his decision was to keep her on board.

**In the Next Episode of The Mighty Ducks:**

 

Canard grabbed Nosedive's arm as he passed by.

"Stop right there, kid," he demanded.

"Man, what is your problem?"

"We need to talk."

Nosedive pulled his arm away. "No we don't!"

* * *

Duke looked around and cursed himself when he realized that he had lost the kid in the crowd.

Then he realized that his wallet was also gone.

"I hate my life," he muttered.

* * *

Canard jumped back in surprise as Nosedive stepped in front of him.

"Who in black holes do you think you are following me?!" the teen shouted.

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy. Comments welcome... even though it's been so long ago...


End file.
